How to Sell Your Micro-SaaS in Europe (Without a Broker)

you built a profitable saas in europe. now you want to sell it.

the problem? most acquisition marketplaces are built for american founders. they price in dollars, operate on us timezones, and treat europe as an afterthought.

this creates real friction when you're trying to sell.

i've seen european founders lose deals because buyers couldn't figure out vat, because due diligence calls were scheduled at 3am, or because the platform didn't support eur payments.

this guide is specifically for eu-based founders who want to sell their micro-saas without those headaches — and without paying 15% to a broker.

the problem with us-first marketplaces

most saas marketplaces were built in san francisco for san francisco founders. that creates specific problems for europeans:

currency friction

when your revenue is in eur but the platform displays usd, every metric needs conversion. buyers see "$5,000 mrr" and have to calculate what that actually means. this adds cognitive load to every listing view.

worse: exchange rates fluctuate. a deal negotiated in january might look different by march.

timezone misalignment

if a buyer in california wants to do a due diligence call, that's 9pm for you in berlin. do that three times a week for a month and you'll burn out before the deal closes.

us-first platforms don't think about this because their users don't face it.

gdpr concerns

european saas products handle eu customer data. buyers need to understand gdpr compliance, data processing agreements, and what happens to customer data during a transfer.

us platforms rarely have guidance on this. many buyers don't even ask the right questions.

vat complexity

selling a saas business across borders triggers vat questions. is the sale b2b? which country's vat applies? do you need to charge vat on the transaction?

most us marketplaces leave you to figure this out yourself.

what european founders actually need

after talking to dozens of eu founders who've sold their saas, the requirements are clear:

native eur pricing

your mrr is €4,000. display it as €4,000. no conversions, no confusion. buyers see what they're buying.

timezone-aware communication

deal rooms that work async. document sharing that doesn't require midnight calls. buyers and sellers who can communicate without destroying their sleep schedules.

gdpr-compliant infrastructure

the platform itself should be gdpr compliant. customer data should be handled properly. the deal room should be secure enough for sensitive documents.

verified metrics that travel

when a german buyer looks at a french founder's listing, they need to trust the numbers. stripe verification solves this — the mrr is pulled from the source, not self-reported.

the broker problem

the traditional answer to "how do i sell my saas?" is "hire a broker."

brokers are useful for large deals (€1M+). they have networks, they handle negotiations, they earn their fee.

but for micro-saas in the €50K-€500K range, broker fees are brutal:

that's months of mrr you're giving away. for a micro-saas deal, the broker's time investment doesn't justify a percentage fee.

the alternative: use a platform with flat pricing and handle the process yourself.

how to sell your eu saas without a broker

here's the step-by-step process:

1. get your metrics verified

self-reported revenue is the #1 trust problem in saas acquisitions. "i make €5K/month" means nothing without proof.

connect your stripe account to a verification service. this pulls your actual mrr, growth rate, and churn directly from the source. no screenshots that can be edited, no spreadsheets that can be inflated.

on vaulto, this is free and takes 5 minutes.

2. prepare your documentation

european buyers will ask about:

• gdpr compliance: data processing agreements, privacy policy, where data is stored
• vat setup: how you handle vat for different eu countries
• legal structure: is it a gmbh, sas, bv, or sole proprietorship?
• employment: are there employees? contractors? what are the transfer implications?

have these documents ready before you list. a prepared seller closes faster.

3. price in eur

if your revenue is in eur, price your sale in eur. don't make buyers do currency math.

use the standard multiple: 3-4x annual profit for a healthy micro-saas. adjust based on growth, churn, and owner dependency.

4. use async deal rooms

instead of scheduling calls across timezones, use a deal room where:

• documents are shared securely
• questions are asked and answered async
• nda is signed digitally
• everything is logged and timestamped

this lets a buyer in portugal work with a seller in estonia without either one compromising their schedule.

5. handle due diligence systematically

create a due diligence folder with:

• financial statements (p&l, balance sheet)
• stripe export or verification link
• customer metrics (ltv, churn, cohort data)
• technical documentation (stack, dependencies, deployment)
• legal documents (contracts, dpa, terms of service)

the more organized you are, the faster the deal closes.

why vaulto exists

i built vaulto because i was tired of seeing european founders struggle on us-first platforms.

vaulto is eu-first:

• eur native: prices displayed in euros, no conversion needed
• stripe verified: mrr pulled directly from stripe, free for all founders
• gdpr compliant: eu-hosted, proper data handling
• flat pricing: €49/mo for sellers, zero commission on deals
• async deal rooms: nda-protected spaces for due diligence
• founder leaderboard: get discovered by verified buyers

if you're building a saas in europe and thinking about an exit, create your profile and get your metrics verified. it's free.

the bottom line

european founders face real friction when selling their saas on us-first platforms. currency, timezone, gdpr, and vat issues add complexity that shouldn't exist.

you don't need a broker for a micro-saas deal. you need:

1. verified metrics that buyers trust
2. a platform that understands eu requirements
3. async tools that work across timezones
4. flat pricing that doesn't eat your exit

that's what vaulto is built for.

list your saas on vaulto →